Determining a content pose of a piece of virtual content

ABSTRACT

A method for determining a content pose of a piece of virtual content. The method is performed in a pose determiner and comprises: acquiring a first anchor pose of the anchoring device; determining a first content pose, being a pose of a piece of virtual content, in relation to the first anchor pose; storing the first content pose in relation to the first anchor pose; determining that a user device needs to determine a content pose of the piece of virtual content; acquiring a second anchor pose of the anchoring device; retrieving the stored first content pose; determining a second content pose of the piece of virtual content based on the first content pose and the second anchor pose; and rendering the piece of virtual content in the second content pose on a user device comprising a display.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/954,108, filed on Jun. 15, 2020, which is a 35 U.S.C. § 371 NationalStage of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2017/083074, filedDec. 15, 2017. The above identified applications are incorporated bythis reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a method, pose determiners, a computer programand a computer program product for determining a content pose of a pieceof virtual content.

BACKGROUND

Mixed reality (MR) is foreseen to become an integral technology in thenetworked society and potently disrupt the consumer electronics market.Mixed reality encompasses Augmented Reality (AR) and AugmentedVirtuality (AV).

AR is here used to denote the concept of presenting a combination ofreal-world objects and computer-rendered content to a user.Specifically, one implementation of AR implies layering one or morevirtual objects in front of reality, on a user's view of the world via asee-through Head Mounted Display (HMD). One application of AR is toallow users to see and interact remotely and in 3D (three dimensions),as if each participant share the same physical space. Hence, remotecommunication and interaction could become as natural as face-to-facecommunication. In AV, the user sees real-world objects as captured by anHMD camera, and subsequently presented on the display together withcomputer-rendered content. Hence, in AV, the display is non see-through.

In 2016, Microsoft launched Hololens, a mobile AR HMD. Several otherHMDs are being launched by other companies including Meta and MagicLeap, which are set to improve the AR technology even further.

In Virtual reality (VR) a user is immersed in a virtual environmentwhere all content is virtual. Some of VR applications are gaming, 360degree live video consumption of concerts, sports, etc., educational andtraining purposes, among others. VR content is displayed via anon-see-through HMD as, e.g., the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Google Daydreamor Samsung GearVR.

When a piece of virtual content for MR or VR is to be placed in view fora user, this piece of virtual content is placed in a content pose. Posedefines both position (in three dimensions) and orientation (in threedimensions).

In the prior art, in devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens or GoogleTango, the virtual content is stored and attached to certain visualfeatures (spatial anchors) that the devices can detect using a camera ofthe device. When the user returns to the same location, a visual searchand matching is performed to relate the current visual features observedby the device's camera and the previously stored visual features. Aproblem with such a solution is that it is very computationallyintensive, as the device must inspect the environment (using severalcameras as is the case with the Hololens), and perform detailed imageanalysis to infer specific visual features and perform the matching,which comprises content from all previously visited locations. Thisrequires a significant amount of processing power and thus batterydrain.

SUMMARY

It is an object to provide a more efficient way to determine a pose ofvirtual content.

According to a first aspect, it is provided a method for determining acontent pose of a piece of virtual content. The method is performed in apose determiner and comprises the steps of: acquiring a first anchorpose of the anchoring device; determining a first content pose, being apose of a piece of virtual content, in relation to the first anchorpose; storing the first content pose in relation to the first anchorpose; determining that a user device needs to determine a content poseof the piece of virtual content; acquiring a second anchor pose of theanchoring device; retrieving the stored first content pose; determininga second content pose of the piece of virtual content based on the firstcontent pose and the second anchor pose; and rendering the piece ofvirtual content in the second content pose on a user device comprising adisplay.

The method may further comprise the steps of: acquiring a poseuncertainty indicator, indicating a degree of uncertainty of the pose ofthe anchoring device: and determining a second content pose based onvisual features captured by a camera of the user device, the visualfeatures being matched with corresponding stored feature poses. In sucha case, the step of determining a second content pose based on the firstcontent pose is performed when the uncertainty indicator is less than athreshold value; and the step of determining a second content pose basedon visual features is performed when the uncertainty indicator isgreater than the threshold value.

The threshold value may depend on the piece of virtual content.

The method may further comprise the step of: adjusting the thresholdbased on an identified repositioning of the piece of virtual content.

The method may further comprise the step of: acquiring a movement flagindicating that the anchoring device has moved since capturing of thefirst anchor pose. In such a case, a determination of whether to performthe step of determining a second content based on the first content poseor the step of determining a second content based on visual features, isbased also on the movement flag.

The method may further comprise the steps of: acquiring a movement flagindicating that the anchoring device has moved since capturing of thefirst anchor pose; and determining a second content pose based on visualfeatures captured by a camera of the user device, the visual featuresbeing matched with corresponding stored feature poses. In such a case,the step of determining a second content pose based on the first contentpose is performed when the movement flag indicates no movement; and thestep of determining a second content pose based on visual features isperformed when the movement flag indicates movement.

The step of acquiring a first anchor pose may comprise receiving thefirst anchor pose in a coordinate system of the anchoring device, anddetermining the first anchor pose in a coordinate system of the userdevice; the step of storing the first content pose may comprisedetermining the first content pose in the coordinate system of theanchoring device prior to storing; the step of acquiring the secondanchor pose may comprise receiving the second anchor pose in acoordinate system of the anchoring device; and the step of determining asecond content pose may comprise determining the pose of the anchoringdevice in the coordinate system of the user device.

According to a second aspect, it is provided a pose determiner fordetermining a content pose of a piece of virtual content. The posedetermining comprises: a processor; and a memory storing instructionsthat, when executed by the processor, cause the pose determiner to:acquire a first anchor pose of the anchoring device; determine a firstcontent pose, being a pose of a piece of virtual content, in relation tothe first anchor pose; store the first content pose in relation to thefirst anchor pose; determine that a user device needs to determine acontent pose of the piece of virtual content; acquire a second anchorpose of the anchoring device; retrieve the stored first content pose;determine a second content pose of the piece of virtual content based onthe first content pose and the second anchor pose; and render the pieceof virtual content in the second content pose on a user devicecomprising a display.

The pose determiner may further comprise instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the pose determiner to: acquire a poseuncertainty indicator, indicating a degree of uncertainty of the pose ofthe anchoring device: and determine a second content pose based onvisual features captured by a camera of the user device, the visualfeatures being matched with corresponding stored feature poses. In sucha case, the instructions to determine a second content pose based on thefirst content pose are executed when the uncertainty indicator is lessthan a threshold value; and the instructions to determine a secondcontent pose based on visual features are executed when the uncertaintyindicator is greater than the threshold value.

The threshold value may depend on the piece of virtual content.

The pose determiner may further comprise instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the pose determiner to: adjust thethreshold based on an identified repositioning of the piece of virtualcontent.

The pose determiner may further comprise instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the pose determiner to: acquire amovement flag indicating that the anchoring device has moved sincecapturing of the first anchor pose. In such a case, a determination ofwhether to execute the instructions to determine a second content basedon the first content pose or the instructions to determine a secondcontent based on visual features, is based also on the movement flag.

The pose determiner may further comprise instructions that, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the pose determiner to: acquire amovement flag indicating that the anchoring device has moved sincecapturing of the first anchor pose; and determine a second content posebased on visual features captured by a camera of the user device, thevisual features being matched with corresponding stored feature poses.In such a case, the instructions to determine a second content posebased on the first content pose are executed when the movement flagindicates no movement; and the instructions to determine a secondcontent pose based on visual features are executed when the movementflag indicates movement.

The instructions to acquire a first anchor pose may compriseinstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the posedeterminer to receive the first anchor pose in a coordinate system ofthe anchoring device, and determining the first anchor pose in acoordinate system of the user device; the instructions to store thefirst content pose may comprise instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, cause the pose determiner to determine the first content posein the coordinate system of the anchoring device prior to storing; theinstructions to acquire the second anchor pose may comprise instructionsthat, when executed by the processor, cause the pose determiner toreceive the second anchor pose in a coordinate system of the anchoringdevice; and the instructions to determine a second content pose maycomprise instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause thepose determiner to determine the pose of the anchoring device in thecoordinate system of the user device.

According to a third aspect, it is provided a pose determinercomprising: means for acquiring a first anchor pose of the anchoringdevice; means for determining a first content pose, being a pose of apiece of a piece of virtual content, in relation to the first anchorpose; means for storing the first content pose in relation to the firstanchor pose; means for determining that a user device needs to determinea content pose of the piece of virtual content; means for acquiring asecond anchor pose of the anchoring device; means for retrieving thestored first content pose; means for determining a second content poseof the piece of virtual content based on the first content pose and thesecond anchor pose; and means for rendering the piece of virtual contentin the second content pose on a user device comprising a display.

According to a fourth aspect, it is provided a computer program fordetermining a content pose of a piece of virtual content. The computerprogram comprises computer program code which, when run on a posedeterminer causes the pose determiner to: acquire a first anchor pose ofthe anchoring device; determine a first content pose, being a pose of apiece of virtual content, in relation to the first anchor pose; storethe first content pose in relation to the first anchor pose; determinethat the user device needs to determine a content pose of the piece ofvirtual content; acquire a second anchor pose of the anchoring device;retrieve the stored first content pose; determine a second content poseof the piece of virtual content based on the first content pose and thesecond anchor pose; and render the piece of virtual content in thesecond content pose on a user device comprising a display.

According to a fifth aspect, it is provided a computer program productcomprising a computer program according to the fourth aspect and acomputer readable means on which the computer program is stored.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted accordingto their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitlydefined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the element,apparatus, component, means, step, etc.” are to be interpreted openly asreferring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component,means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of anymethod disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact orderdisclosed, unless explicitly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an environment in whichembodiments presented herein can be applied;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams illustrating embodiments of wherepose determiner can be implemented;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are flow charts illustrating embodiments of methods fordetermining a content pose of a piece of virtual content;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing functional modules of the posedeterminer 1 of FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of the posedeterminer 1 of FIGS. 2A and 2B; and

FIG. 6 shows one example of a computer program product comprisingcomputer readable means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments ofthe invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided byway of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete,and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

Embodiments presented herein are based on exploiting external devices,denoted anchoring devices, having pose data to determine content posefor a piece of virtual content. More specifically, the content pose of apiece of virtual content is first anchored in relation to (i.e. itsposition is determined in relation to) an anchoring device, in a room orother well-defined physical space, and stored. Subsequently, when thespace is re-entered, by obtaining a current position of the anchoringdevice, the current content pose can be determined based on the storedcontent pose and the current position of the anchoring device. When thecontent pose is determined in this way, the resource intensive visualfeature matching is not needed, thus reducing resource usage and timerequired for determining the content pose.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an environment in whichembodiments presented herein can be applied. The environment shown inFIG. 1 is used for MR or VR, where a user 5 wears a user device 2, suchas a head mounted display (HMD). When used for MR, the user device 2allows the user 5 to see both real-world objects 11-15 and virtualobjects 10 a-10 b. A first virtual object boa is a virtual Christmastree. A second virtual object 10 b is a virtual screen, e.g. for showingpictures, video streams or playing games.

When used for VR, the user device 2 allows the user 5 to only seevirtual objects boa-bob. The user device 2 contains sensors (e.g.accelerometers, gyros, etc.) e.g. as part of an inertia measurement unit(IMU). This is used by the user device to determine the position andorientation of the user device 2 in a three dimensional space. Theposition and orientation are collectively known as pose. Poses areherein referred to as P(i, j), where i is a label of the element and jis a label of coordinate system. The pose is a 6-element vector,comprising a 3D position (x,y,z) and orientation (roll, pitch, yaw).

The user device 2 comprises one or more cameras 20 for capturing imagesof the environment around the user 5. Each camera 20 can be in thevisible light range (also known as RGB, red green blue) and/or theinfrared range, and can even be thermal cameras.

The user device 2 is connected to a network 9. The network 9 can e.g. bea local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN) such as theInternet. The connection between the user device 2 and the network 9 canbe based on wireless technology, such as WiFi (any of the IEEE 802.11xstandards), Bluetooth, etc. Alternatively or additionally, theconnection between the user device 2 and the network is based on acellular network connection, e.g. complying with any one or acombination of 5G NR (New Radio), LTE (Long Term Evolution),LTE-Advanced, W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiplex), EDGE (EnhancedData Rates for GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) Evolution),GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), CDMA2000 (Code Division MultipleAccess 2000), or any other current or future wireless network. A server3 is also connected to the network 9.

In the vicinity of the user, there is an anchoring device 4. Theanchoring device 4 is an electronic device which is capable ofdetermining its pose (e.g. with the assistance of an IMU) and cancommunicate its pose to other devices. The anchoring device 4 can haveother main purposes than acting as an anchoring device. For instance,the anchoring device 4 can be implemented as a smart speaker, acomputer, a smart lamp, a smart fridge, a smart washing machine, a smartcoffee machine, etc. There may be more than one anchoring devices 4.Each anchoring device 4 can be an essentially static device, such as asmart fridge or a smart washing machine, or a more movable device, suchas a personal digital assistant or a smart speaker. In such a situation,a static device can be preferred.

Around the user, there are several visual elements, such as a door ii,and a doorframe 12. Moreover, there are additional visual elements suchas a floor line 13, a corner 14 between walls, and a ceiling line 15.

When visual features are used for pose determination, complementing posedetermination using the anchoring device 4, environment data(two-dimensional or three-dimensional) is obtained from storage of theuser device 2 and/or the server 3. Key elements are identified in imagescaptured and compared with the environment data to allow the user device2 to be positioned within the environment, optionally also using datafrom the IMU. The key elements can be any subset (or all) of the visualelements 11-15. It is to be noted that the visual elements varydepending on where the user 5 is located. Mapping can also occursimultaneously, whereby the environment data is updated. A process oflearning an area while keeping track of a current position andorientation of a user within the area is known as SimultaneousLocalisation and Mapping, or SLAM.

The user device 2 can e.g. be implemented using an HMD such as theMicrosoft HoloLens, or ODG R7/R8/R9. The HMD may also be an Oculus Riftor HTC Vive for VR applications. It is also possible that the userdevice 2 is implemented using another type of wearable device, asmartphone and/or a tablet computer, optionally with opticalenhancement, e.g. Google cardboard, Mira Prism or similar. The userdevice 2 could be also a smartphone such as the Google Tango phone(Lenovo and Asus) or an iPhone or Android phone with ARKit (from Apple)or ARCore (from Google). It is to be noted that the term ‘computer’ usedherein is to be interpreted as any electronic device with digitalprocessing capabilities, regardless of size. Hence, the term computercomprises devices such as servers, desktop computers, laptop computers,tablet computers, smart phones, mobile phones, smart watches,microcontrollers, etc.

It is to be noted that the environment of FIG. 1 is only one example ofwhere embodiments presented herein can be applied. Embodiments presentedherein can equally well be applied in other environments such as forself-driving vehicles, industrial applications, indoor robotics, etc.

FIGS. 2A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating embodiments of where posedeterminer 1 can be implemented. The pose determiner 1 is a device thatdetermines the content pose for virtual content. The pose determiner 1can be implemented as a stand-alone device or it can form part of a hostdevice, as shown in FIGS. 2A-B.

In FIG. 2A, the pose determiner is implemented in the user device 2. Theuser device 2 is thus the host device for the pose determiner 1. In suchan embodiment, the pose determiner is provided with poses from one ormore anchoring devices, and retrieves relevant poses from within theuser device.

In FIG. 2B, the pose determiner is implemented in the server 3. Theserver 3 is thus the host device for the pose determiner 1. In such anembodiment, the pose determiner is provided with poses not only from oneor more anchoring devices, but also from the user device.

FIGS. 3A-B are flow charts illustrating embodiments of methods fordetermining a content pose of a piece of virtual content. The methodsare performed in the pose determiner.

The method starts when a need is detected to anchor a piece of virtualcontent. It is to be noted that, while the steps below refer to aparticular piece of virtual content, all steps referring to the piece ofvirtual content can be extended to apply for multiple pieces of virtualcontent.

In an acquire first anchor pose step 40, the pose determiner acquires afirst anchor pose of the anchoring device, e.g. forming part of a signalreceived from the anchoring device over a wireless communicationchannel. This can be achieved by receiving the first anchor pose in acoordinate system of the anchoring device, and determining the firstanchor pose in a coordinate system of the user device.

In other words, the anchoring device transmits its first anchor pose tothe pose determiner, the first anchor pose being in the anchoring devicecoordinate system. We denote this pose by P(a, a).

The pose determiner can then determine the pose of the anchoring devicein the user device coordinate system, which we denote by P(a,u). Suchdetermination can be performed using various positioning technologiesand methods proposed in the art per se, such as via visual means (e.g.passive or active marker-based or non-marker based methods), radio-basedmeans (e.g. WiFi, Ultra Wide Band, GPS (Global Positioning System),etc.), audio means, electromagnetic means, etc.

Based on knowing P(a, a) and P(a, u), the transform matrix Tua(coordinate system transform from user device to anchor device) can becalculated, which relates both poses, i.e. P(a, a)=Tua*P(a, u). In orderto determine a robust value of Tua, various poses P(a, u) can bedetermined, and e.g. a least squares estimate of Tua considering variousP(a, u) values can be performed.

In a determine first content pose step 42, the pose determinerdetermines a first content pose. The first content pose is a pose of apiece of virtual content, in relation to the first anchor pose. This canbe achieved by determining the first content pose in the coordinatesystem of the anchoring device prior to storing.

This can be calculated according to the following. Since the transformmatrix Tua is known, the first content pose of the piece of virtualcontent can be transformed to the user device coordinate system into theanchoring device coordinate system by performing the followingcalculation: P(v, a)=Tua*P(v, u).

The value of P(v, a) can now be used as an anchor for the piece ofvirtual content to the anchoring device.

The same operations can be performed for visual features found in theenvironment as P(vf, a), where vf denotes “visual features”.

In a store first content pose step 44, the pose determiner stores thefirst content pose in relation to the first anchor pose, for instance inthe coordinate system of the anchoring device.

In a determine need to determine content pose step 45, the posedeterminer determines that the user device needs to determine a contentpose of the piece of virtual content. The need to determine content posecan be triggered by the enablement of a user device, e.g. the device isturned on, the user requests virtual content from the current locationto be loaded, or the user re-entering a physical space where anchoring,as described herein, has previously been executed.

In a receive second anchor pose step 46, the pose determiner acquires asecond anchor pose of the anchoring device. The second anchor pose canbe received in a coordinate system of the anchoring device. The secondanchor pose is denoted P′(a, a). When the anchoring is an essentiallystatic device, such as a smart fridge, the second anchor pose will mostlikely be the same as the first anchoring pose, while if the anchoringdevice is more moveable, such as a smart lamp, it is more likely thatthe anchoring device has moved, implying that the second anchor posediffers from the first anchor pose.

In a retrieve stored content pose step 48, the pose determiner retrievesthe stored first content pose, i.e. P(v, a).

In a determine second content pose based on first content pose step 50,the pose determiner determines a second content pose of the piece ofvirtual content based on the first content pose and the second anchorpose. This can be achieved by determining the pose of the anchoringdevice in the coordinate system of the user device.

The pose determiner first determines the anchoring device's pose in theuser device coordinate system P′(a, u) with respect to the user devicecoordinate system using techniques and methods known in the art per se.

A new transformation between the two coordinate systems Tua' can then becomputed as performed above, i.e. P′(a, a)=Tua′*P′(a, u). As a sidenote, if the coordinate systems of the anchoring device and the userdevice remain the same, the transform will still be the same in whichcase Tua′ will be the same as Tua.

The pose of the piece of virtual content with respect to the user devicecoordinate system can then be determined as P′(v, u)=Tua⁻¹*P(v, a),where P(v, a) has been retrieved from storage.

In a render step 52, the pose determiner renders the piece of virtualcontent in the second content pose on a user device comprising adisplay. This can comprise triggering the actual rendering to occur on aseparate device, for instance when the pose determiner is implemented inthe server and the rendering is performed using the user device.

Hence, the user device displays the piece of virtual content using thepose P′(v, u). The display is achieved without resorting to the visualmatching as in the prior art.

Looking now to FIG. 3B, only new or modified steps compared to the stepsof FIG. 3A will be described.

In an optional acquire pose uncertainty indicator step 47, the posedeterminer acquires a pose uncertainty indicator. The pose uncertaintyindicator indicates a degree of uncertainty of the pose of the anchoringdevice. As explained in more detail below, the uncertainty indicator canbe used for determining if the determination of content pose describedabove is to be used or if a conventional method (based on visualfeatures) is instead to be used.

The uncertainty indicator can be computed according to various methods,which depend on the positioning technology used. As an example, if theanchoring device possesses an IMU to calculate its pose, an IMU isaffected by noise which can introduce a position drift which isproportional to the squared rate and duration of acceleration. Hence,whenever the anchoring device moves, the uncertainty of its pose grows.

The uncertainty indicator can be given separately with respect to theposition (x, y, z) and orientation (roll, pitch, yaw). This is due todifferent sensors with different estimation quality can be used tocalculate position and orientation, and the anchoring device can changeits position and not the orientation, or vice versa.

In an optional acquire movement flag step 49, the pose determineracquires a movement flag indicating that the anchoring device has movedsince capturing of the first anchor pose. The movement flag can bedetermined using other, simpler sensors, as e.g. a contact sensor in adocking station, than an IMU. Of course, the movement flag can also bedetermined using an IMU. The use of a contact sensor in a dockingstation can be exploited to reset any detected movement. For instance,if a laptop computer comprising an IMU acts as an anchoring device, itsmovement, once undocked, can be detected using the IMU. Once the laptopcomputer docks again, all the movement is reset and the movement flagcan be set to ‘no movement’, regardless of possible accumulatedinaccuracies and uncertainties introduced by IMU measurements.

It is to be noted that step 47 can be performed without performing step49 and vice versa, or both steps can be performed.

In an optional conditional use stored content pose step 55, the posedeterminer determines whether to use the stored content pose or not.This can be based on the uncertainty indicator, such that when theuncertainty indicator is less than a threshold value (i.e. lessuncertain than a certain threshold), it is determined to use the storedcontent. In one embodiment when multiple anchoring devices areavailable, the anchoring device(s) with the lowest uncertainty is usedfor the determination in this step and subsequently in the method.

The threshold value can depend on the piece of virtual content, e.g. thetype and properties of the piece of virtual content. As an example, ifthe piece of virtual content relates to an item of a dynamic game whichthe user has played in the living room and the item of the game shouldbe displayed again when re-entering the physical space, it can beallowed that the game object is up to 50 cm away from its originalposition. Moreover, such an can be allowed to have no maximum allowedorientation error, since it might not matter what the orientation of theobject is. On the other hand, a virtual plant on top of a table mightnot be allowed to have errors larger than 10 cm and the orientationerror can be small to ensure the flower of the virtual plant points inthe right direction. In other words, dynamic content can be configuredto allow greater uncertainty than static content. Also, the thresholdvalue can be a composite value, which is considered independently forposition and orientation.

Alternatively or additionally, the determination of whether to use thestored content pose is further based also on the movement flag, e.g.when no movement of the anchoring device has occurred, then it isdetermined to use the stored content pose. When there are multipleanchoring devices, the anchoring device(s) which have not moved can beprioritised (e.g. by ignoring other anchoring device(s)).

The uncertainty indicator can be reset whenever the anchor pose isreported to the pose determiner (step 40 and step 46), since at suchinstants, the device can reset its pose and hence its uncertainty.

When it is determined to use the stored content pose, the methodproceeds to the determine second content pose based on first contentpose step 50. Otherwise, the method proceeds to an optional determinesecond content pose based on visual features step 51.

In the optional determine second content pose based on visual featuresstep 51, the pose determiner determines the second content pose based onvisual features. The visual features are captured by a camera of theuser device. The visual features are matched with corresponding storedfeature poses to determine the second pose of the piece of virtualcontent.

This step may need to be performed when the second content poseobtainable by means of the anchoring device is not good enough.

The pose of the visual features with respect to the user devicecoordinate system can then be determined as P′(vf, u)=Tua⁻¹*P(vf, a).

However, even if uncertain, the knowledge of the pose of the visualfeatures allows the pose determiner to significantly narrow the searchspace for both the visual features to search for and their expectedlocation, making also the visual matching of step 51 significantlyfaster and more computationally efficient and hence more energyefficient than in the prior art.

In an optional adjust threshold step 54, the pose determiner adjusts thethreshold based on an identified repositioning of the piece of virtualcontent. For instance, the threshold can be adjusted dynamicallyaccording to a recognized user interaction. As an example, if the userrepositions the piece of virtual content after it is displayed, thethreshold is reduced, according to the user adjustment. Such a thresholdreduction does not need to completely correspond to the user adjustment,but can, over time make up the user adjustment. For instance, if theuser adjusted the pose of the piece of virtual content by X, i.e.X=|Padjusted(v,u)−Poriginal(v,u)|, then the threshold is adjusted asthreshold=threshold−(X/N), where N>1. In this way, the threshold isadjusted to become incrementally more strict. N is configurable and canbe set to any value to control the aggressiveness of the thresholdadjustment. A lower N implies a more aggressive threshold adjustment.

Optionally, the time it takes for the user to make the adjustment isconsidered when the threshold is adjusted. For example, a fastadjustment implies that the adjustment is significant and important tothe user, in which case the threshold is adjusted more aggressively. Onthe other hand, if the user adjustment takes a long time, this indicatesthat the adjustment is of less significance, in which case the thresholdis adjusted less aggressively or even not at all.

Another similar option which disregards how much the user has adjustedthe piece of virtual content is that threshold=threshold/N, where N>1.The threshold can also be adjusted based on an automated adjustment,i.e. adjustments not made by the user. For instance, a visual featurematching using the camera images can be triggered sporadically orperiodically (since these might be used for SLAM) to check if virtualcontent has the correct pose with respect to the real world. This can bechecked by comparing the pose of the virtual content to visual featuresthat have been stored. If the discrepancy is too large, for the type ofvirtual content and/or application, the threshold is adjusted.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing functional modules of the posedeterminer 1 of FIG. 2A-B according to one embodiment. The modules areimplemented using software instructions such as a computer programexecuting in the pose determiner 1. Alternatively or additionally, themodules are implemented using hardware, such as any one or more of anASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (FieldProgrammable Gate Array), or discrete logical circuits. The modulescorrespond to the steps in the methods illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

A first anchor pose receiver 70 corresponds to step 40. A first contentpose determiner 72 corresponds to step 42. A first content pose storer74 corresponds to step 44. A content pose need evaluator step 75corresponds to step 45. A second anchor pose receiver 76 corresponds tostep 46. An uncertainty indicator receiver 77 corresponds to step 47. Astored first content pose retriever 78 corresponds to step 48. Amovement flag acquirer 79 corresponds to step 49. A second content posedeterminer 80 corresponds to step 50 and step 51. A renderer 82corresponds to step 52. A threshold adjuster 84 corresponds to step 54.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating components of the posedeterminer 1 of FIGS. 2A-B. It is to be noted that one or more of thementioned components can be shared with the host device, such as theuser device or server, when applicable. A processor 60 is provided usingany combination of one or more of a suitable central processing unit(CPU), multiprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP),application specific integrated circuit etc., capable of executingsoftware instructions 67 stored in a memory 64, which can thus be acomputer program product. The processor 60 can be configured to executethe method described with reference to FIG. 3A-B above.

The memory 64 can be any combination of random access memory (RAM) andread only memory (ROM). The memory 64 also comprises persistent storage,which, for example, can be any single one or combination of magneticmemory, optical memory, solid-state memory or even remotely mountedmemory.

A data memory 66 is also provided for reading and/or storing data duringexecution of software instructions in the processor 60. The data memory66 can be any combination of random access memory (RAM) and read onlymemory (ROM).

The pose determiner 1 further comprises an I/O interface 62 forcommunicating with other external entities. Optionally, the I/Ointerface 62 also includes a user interface.

Other components of the pose determiner 1 are omitted in order not toobscure the concepts presented herein.

FIG. 6 shows one example of a computer program product 90 comprisingcomputer readable means. On this computer readable means, a computerprogram 91 can be stored, which computer program can cause a processorto execute a method according to embodiments described herein. In thisexample, the computer program product is an optical disc, such as a CD(compact disc) or a DVD (digital versatile disc) or a Blu-Ray disc. Asexplained above, the computer program product could also be embodied ina memory of a device, such as the computer program product 64 of FIG. 5. While the computer program 91 is here schematically shown as a trackon the depicted optical disk, the computer program can be stored in anyway which is suitable for the computer program product, such as aremovable solid state memory, e.g. a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a fewembodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled inthe art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equallypossible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appendedpatent claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: acquiring a firstanchor pose of an anchoring device; determining a first content pose, inrelation to the first anchor pose, the first content pose being a poseof a piece of virtual content; determining that a user device needs todetermine a content pose of the piece of virtual content; acquiring apose uncertainty indicator; determining a second content pose of thepiece of virtual content; and rendering the piece of virtual contentusing the second content pose, wherein determining the second contentpose of the piece of virtual content comprises: i) determining thesecond content pose based on the first content pose and a second anchorpose in case the uncertainty indicator is less than a threshold value,or ii) determining the second content pose based on visual features incase the uncertainty indicator is greater than the threshold value. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the pose uncertainty indicator indicatesa degree of uncertainty of the pose of the anchoring device.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the threshold value depends on the piece ofvirtual content.
 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the stepof: adjusting the threshold based on an identified repositioning of thepiece of virtual content.
 5. The method of claim 2, further comprisingdetermining whether the anchoring device has moved since acquiring thefirst anchor pose.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining whether the anchoring device has moved since acquiring thefirst anchor pose.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:acquiring the second anchor pose of the anchoring device; determining atransform matrix using the first anchor pose of the anchoring device andthe second anchor pose of the anchoring device, wherein the first anchorpose is defined in a first coordinate system and the second anchor poseis defined in a second coordinate system; and acquiring a third contentpose of the piece of virtual content the third content pose beingdefined in said second coordinate system, wherein determining the firstcontent pose of the piece of virtual content comprises calculating thefirst content pose using the determined transform matrix and the thirdcontent pose, and the first content pose is defined in said firstcoordinate system.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second contentpose is determined based on the first content pose, and determining thesecond content pose based on the first content pose comprisesdetermining the second content pose (P2) using a transform matrix (Tua)and the first content pose (P1).
 9. The method of claim 8, whereindetermining P2 comprises calculating P2=Tua×P1.
 10. The method of claim9, wherein Tua=T⁻¹, and T is a matrix determined using the first anchorpose of the anchoring device or a second anchor pose of the anchoringdevice.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content pose of thepiece of virtual content is a first vector comprising a first set ofcoordinates defining a first point in a first coordinate system; and thesecond content pose of the piece of virtual content is a second vectorcomprising a second set of coordinates defining a second point in asecond coordinate system.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstvector further comprises a first set of orientation values specifying anorientation of the piece of virtual content in the first coordinatesystem, and the second vector further comprises a second set oforientation values specifying an orientation of the piece of virtualcontent in the second coordinate system.
 13. A pose determiner fordetermining a content pose of a piece of virtual content, the posedeterminer comprising: a processor; and a memory storing instructionsthat, when executed by the processor, cause the pose determiner to:acquire a first anchor pose of an anchoring device; determine a firstcontent pose, in relation to the first anchor pose, the first contentpose being a pose of a piece of virtual content; determine that a userdevice needs to determine a content pose of the piece of virtualcontent; acquire a pose uncertainty indicator; determine a secondcontent pose of the piece of virtual content; and render the piece ofvirtual content using the second content pose, wherein the posedeterminer is configured to determine the second content pose of thepiece of virtual content by either: i) determining the second contentpose based on the first content pose and a second anchor pose in casethe uncertainty indicator is less than a threshold value, or ii)determining the second content pose based on visual features in case theuncertainty indicator is greater than the threshold value.
 14. The posedeterminer of claim 13, wherein the pose uncertainty indicator indicatesa degree of uncertainty of the pose of the anchoring device.
 15. Thepose determiner of claim 14, wherein the threshold value depends on thepiece of virtual content.
 16. The pose determiner of claim 14, whereinthe pose determiner is further configured to adjust the threshold basedon an identified repositioning of the piece of virtual content.
 17. Thepose determiner of claim 14, wherein the pose determiner is furtherconfigured to determine whether the anchoring device has moved sinceacquiring the first anchor pose.
 18. The pose determiner of claim 13,wherein the pose determiner is further configured to determine whetherthe anchoring device has moved since acquiring the first anchor pose.19. The pose determiner of claim 13, wherein the pose determiner isfurther configured to: acquire the second anchor pose of the anchoringdevice; determine a transform matrix using the first anchor pose of theanchoring device and the second anchor pose of the anchoring device,wherein the first anchor pose is defined in a first coordinate systemand the second anchor pose is defined in a second coordinate system; andacquire a third content pose of the piece of virtual content the thirdcontent pose being defined in said second coordinate system, whereindetermining the first content pose of the piece of virtual contentcomprises calculating the first content pose using the determinedtransform matrix and the third content pose, and the first content poseis defined in said first coordinate system.
 20. The pose determiner ofclaim 13, wherein the second content pose is determined based on thefirst content pose, and determining the second content pose based on thefirst content pose comprises determining the second content pose (P2)using a transform matrix (Tua) and the first content pose (P1).
 21. Thepose determiner of claim 20, wherein determining P2 comprisescalculating P2=Tua×P1.
 22. The pose determiner of claim 21, whereinTua=T⁻¹, and T is a matrix determined using the first anchor pose of theanchoring device or a second anchor pose of the anchoring device. 23.The pose determiner of claim 13, wherein the first content pose of thepiece of virtual content is a first vector comprising a first set ofcoordinates defining a first point in a first coordinate system; and thesecond content pose of the piece of virtual content is a second vectorcomprising a second set of coordinates defining a second point in asecond coordinate system.
 24. The pose determiner of claim 23, whereinthe first vector further comprises a first set of orientation valuesspecifying an orientation of the piece of virtual content in the firstcoordinate system, and the second vector further comprises a second setof orientation values specifying an orientation of the piece of virtualcontent in the second coordinate system.
 25. A computer program productcomprising a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computerprogram for determining a content pose of a piece of virtual content,the computer program comprising computer program code which, when run ona pose determiner causes the pose determiner to: acquire a first anchorpose of an anchoring device; determine a first content pose, in relationto the first anchor pose, the first content pose being a pose of a pieceof virtual content; determine that a user device needs to determine acontent pose of the piece of virtual content; acquire a pose uncertaintyindicator; determine a second content pose of the piece of virtualcontent by either: i) determining the second content pose based on thefirst content pose and a second anchor pose in case the uncertaintyindicator is less than a threshold value, or ii) determining the secondcontent pose based on visual features in case the uncertainty indicatoris greater than the threshold value; and render the piece of virtualcontent using the second content pose.